It was the 14th of november , needless to say that today is Valentine's Day? This is the feast day of Saint Valentine, patron saint of lovers and romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415.
Its surprise to know that a bold and beautiful girl like me ended up spending time with my dad and his brothers. It does not in anyways mean i don't have a boy friend! In-fact i have boy friend(S) and was confused as to with whom I should go out ;)
I happen to visit the Chariot festival of India in nandi which is in a place called Chikkabalapura after a long time. The pink , yellow and radium color ribbons , the colorful wind fans , those sugar idols , the puffed rice , the colorful balloons , the toy watches , the toy mobile phones , loads and loads of plastic toys , hand-covers with Hrithik's poster on it , huge line of beggars and last but not the least the huge chariot which was all decorated with colorful clothes where the Nandi, the GOD is taken out in a procession.
It is during this time that the deity of Nandi is taken out in a grand procession in specially made gigantic temple-like chariots called raths, which are pulled by thousands of devotees.
Many believe that the custom of placing idols on grand chariots and pulling them is of Buddhist origin. Fa Hien, the Chinese historian, who visited India in the 5th century AD, had written about the chariot of Buddha being pulled along public roads.
History has it that when the British first observed the Rath Yatra in the 18th century, they were so amazed that they sent home shocking descriptions which gave rise to the term 'juggernaut', meaning "destructive force". This connotation may have originated from the occasional but accidental death of some devotees under the chariot wheels caused by the crowd and commotion. Each year these wooden chariots are constructed anew in accordance with religious specifications. The idol of the deity is also made of wood and they are religiously replaced by new ones every after 12 years.
Rath Yatra is a great festival because of its ability to unite people in its festivity. All people, rich and poor, brahmins or shudras equally enjoy the fairs and the joy they bring. You will be amazed to know that even Muslims participate in Rath Yatras! Muslim residents of Narayanpur, a village of about a thousand families in the Subarnapur district of Orissa, regularly take part in the festival, from building the chariots to pulling the rath.
When I was enjoying the fair, feeling the culture and talking to people to know about the origin of the festival , from no where an old saint came up to me. My uncle stood with his hands folded in front of him and gave a hard pinch intimating me as well to do the same. Then the saint said ,
"look into my eyes!!!"
Me: *stared at my uncle in confusion*
Uncle: "Have faith in him and look into his eyes. He is no ordinary person.Remember have faith in him!".
Me: *Nodded my head with the same confusion level and looked into his eyes*.For time being I set aside technology and logical thinking , I could really feel some divine power some spark when I looked into his eyes.
Saint:*Moved his hand from my head till the end of my arms* "Oom! Kleem! Vleem! Aam! Phat! "(the words echoed around my face). "Do not visit any temple or crack a coconut before any God( which happens to be a custom in India) till March 15th 2010. All your problems will be solved and a white horse will come in your life!!!"
Me: (Could feel silence all over something was running behind my mind? or no nothing was running I was blank, I was confused, surprised , shocked to know that he knew few facts which were true with my life)
"Why me among those thousands and thousands of people? How does he know about a fact which is so personal to me? Is he really a super natural person? Do i have to believe him now and think my time is bad till march 15th? Do i have to listen to him? ". Went back home with all these questions as worms which were eating up ma head!
And yeah don,t miss to visit such a festival in your life time and experience the culture of India.
Its surprise to know that a bold and beautiful girl like me ended up spending time with my dad and his brothers. It does not in anyways mean i don't have a boy friend! In-fact i have boy friend(S) and was confused as to with whom I should go out ;)
I happen to visit the Chariot festival of India in nandi which is in a place called Chikkabalapura after a long time. The pink , yellow and radium color ribbons , the colorful wind fans , those sugar idols , the puffed rice , the colorful balloons , the toy watches , the toy mobile phones , loads and loads of plastic toys , hand-covers with Hrithik's poster on it , huge line of beggars and last but not the least the huge chariot which was all decorated with colorful clothes where the Nandi, the GOD is taken out in a procession.
It is during this time that the deity of Nandi is taken out in a grand procession in specially made gigantic temple-like chariots called raths, which are pulled by thousands of devotees.
Many believe that the custom of placing idols on grand chariots and pulling them is of Buddhist origin. Fa Hien, the Chinese historian, who visited India in the 5th century AD, had written about the chariot of Buddha being pulled along public roads.
History has it that when the British first observed the Rath Yatra in the 18th century, they were so amazed that they sent home shocking descriptions which gave rise to the term 'juggernaut', meaning "destructive force". This connotation may have originated from the occasional but accidental death of some devotees under the chariot wheels caused by the crowd and commotion. Each year these wooden chariots are constructed anew in accordance with religious specifications. The idol of the deity is also made of wood and they are religiously replaced by new ones every after 12 years.
Rath Yatra is a great festival because of its ability to unite people in its festivity. All people, rich and poor, brahmins or shudras equally enjoy the fairs and the joy they bring. You will be amazed to know that even Muslims participate in Rath Yatras! Muslim residents of Narayanpur, a village of about a thousand families in the Subarnapur district of Orissa, regularly take part in the festival, from building the chariots to pulling the rath.
When I was enjoying the fair, feeling the culture and talking to people to know about the origin of the festival , from no where an old saint came up to me. My uncle stood with his hands folded in front of him and gave a hard pinch intimating me as well to do the same. Then the saint said ,
"look into my eyes!!!"
Me: *stared at my uncle in confusion*
Uncle: "Have faith in him and look into his eyes. He is no ordinary person.Remember have faith in him!".
Me: *Nodded my head with the same confusion level and looked into his eyes*.For time being I set aside technology and logical thinking , I could really feel some divine power some spark when I looked into his eyes.
Saint:*Moved his hand from my head till the end of my arms* "Oom! Kleem! Vleem! Aam! Phat! "(the words echoed around my face). "Do not visit any temple or crack a coconut before any God( which happens to be a custom in India) till March 15th 2010. All your problems will be solved and a white horse will come in your life!!!"
Me: (Could feel silence all over something was running behind my mind? or no nothing was running I was blank, I was confused, surprised , shocked to know that he knew few facts which were true with my life)
"Why me among those thousands and thousands of people? How does he know about a fact which is so personal to me? Is he really a super natural person? Do i have to believe him now and think my time is bad till march 15th? Do i have to listen to him? ". Went back home with all these questions as worms which were eating up ma head!
And yeah don,t miss to visit such a festival in your life time and experience the culture of India.
2 comments:
valentines day.. on 14th nov... okie.. so childrens day mst be on 14th feb ryt.. and independence day.. on 26th of Jan...
Buahahaha! Sorry for the typo its supposed to be 14th feb!
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